Monday, July 12, 2010

Finally! A good report.

After not hearing from Dr. Hema's office neither last Wednesday nor Thursday, I telephoned for Nurse K. She explained that Dr. Hema was out of town and she was therefor not yet asked to report the result. We both realize, nonetheless, that the usual procedure is to call the patient and report the numbers.

She reported the M-spike number is now 0.3, which is, she said, "very good." That is actually lower, just a bit, than the previous report, which was 0.35. Needless to say, I am very happy that my number is so good. It appears that, so far, my 90% remission is holding.

My general health and energy certainly supports this. I feel very fine. My adorable wife and I expect to enjoy two vacations yet this year. I hope our New England friends will warm up their lobster pots. We are going to see them very soon!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Follow-up visit to Dr. Hema

It was off to Big City today for a regularly scheduled follow-up visit to Dr. Hema. After my weight, blood pressure and other vital signs were taken, blood was drawn for testing. Dr. Hema reported that my hemoglobin and platelet counts showed slight improvements, but improvements nonetheless. He confirmed that the most important indicator of my health, the M-spike number, would not be available until Wednesday or Thursday.

We discussed that curing lymphoma is unlikely at this time, given the state of medical science. However, remission, leading to a normal quality of life, is realistic. In his and my opinion, we have achieved it.

Of course, the question remains: how long will it last. We hope, long enough to enjoy a normal life expectancy or longer, even if it takes a few more rounds of treatments over a span of many years.

I will report the M-spike report as soon as I have it.

Thank you again for your well wishes. They buoy me up!